The, Sicilian Highlands. 471 THE SICILIAN HIGHLANDS. WITH the exception of the liinteiland cient world, at whose summit (2500 feet) of Calabria, there is probably no part of stood one of the most famous of all the Europe so unknown to the ordinary trav­ shrines of antiquity, that of Venus Ery- eler as the interior of Sicily. These in­ cina, —as, before her, of the Erycinian lands practically begin at the coastline Aphrodite of the Hellenes, as, before her, all along the circumference of over six of the Phoenician Astarte; and, once hundred miles ; it is only on the southern more, as, before her, of the unknown and southwestern coasts, or the desolate Goddess of the Sea and of Love, wor­ promontory behind which lie the ruins of shiped by the primitive Sikelians, — per­ Selinunte, and then again at Terranova, haps in turn the successor of the Woman the ancient Gela, and thence along the before whom bowed down the semi-leg­ sea-loop to Syracuse and Augusta, to endary Elymians and Sicanians. Lentini and Catania, that a mountain- The southwest railway between Sira- wall does not at once exclude the inlands cusa and Licata may be said to be wholly from the sliore lands as a country apart. unused either by the '• classically mind­ Of the seven or eight railway lines or ed " traveler or tlie ordinary tourist. short branches which traverse this Sicil­ The country is desolate and unbeautif ul: ian hinterland at remote distances, only traveling is never comfortable, and in out­ three are commonly traveled by the tour­ lying regions is sometimes unsafe; and ist in Sicily: the north-coast line from the towns of Modica, Ragusa, and Licata Messina to Palermo, the east-coast line (the Hellenic Phintias) have little to at­ from Messina to Syracuse, and the cen­ tract the general traveler, though they tral line from Palermo and Termini via have much to interest the folk-lorist. Castrogiovanni to Catania (with its due Even less traversed, save by the few south bifurcation from Roccapalumba to Sicilians concerned, is the short bifurca­ Girgenti). Very few tourists avail them­ tion inland, from Lentini to Caltagirone. selves of the Palermo-Occidental rail­ There remains only the short line south way, except those interested in the wine from Palermo up into the mountain lands and other export trade of Marsala and of Corleone, — concerning which the Pa- Trapani — or a few of the more erudite lermitans have a jibe, — that only one travelers, anxious to break at Calatafimi forestiero (foreigner) in a year attempts for the solitary magnificence of the ruins the journey, and he never returns ! of Segesta; or at Castelvetrano for the To these official railway lines must be fallen temples of Selinunte (Selinus) ; or added the short Circum-^Sltnea loop line, at Marsala to view that promontory of — a narrow mountain-climbing railway Lilybaion, the " most splendid city." the starting westward from Catania or north­ scene of one of the greatest of Roman ward from Giarre, and making the cir­ sieges, where thirty years earlier the great cuit of the vast lava lands of Etna by Pyrrhus failed disastrously, and where Linguaglossa and Terremorte to Ran- for generations Melkarth and the gods of dazzo and Bronte (west, north, and east Carthage reigned supreme. Every year, of which lies the duchy of Bronte, — the too, a few classical enthusiasts journey to Sicilian estate of our great Nelson, Duke Trapani, to see and climb the Monte San of Bronte), — where the line ascends Giuliano of to-day, the Eryx of the an- sometimes to close on 4000 feet,^ to * The highest reach is between Randazzo and cantara and the Simeto, a few miles from Ran- Bronte. Between the watersheds of the Al- dazzo, the elevation of the line is over 8800 PRODUCED BY UNZ.ORG ELECTRONIC REPRODUCTION PROHIBITED 472 The Sicilian Highlands. Adernb (the ancient Hadranum), Pa- and Barcellona'), and even westward to terno (Hybln Minor), and southwest- the long shore where are the Sweet ward down the lava-i-avaged, earthquake- Waters of Saint Agatha, and that lovely shaken, soutliern flanks of Etna, through promontory of Karonia, the Kalakte, or a paradise of orange and lemon and '• beautiful shore," founded by Ducetius ahuond, of prickly pear and medlar and in the fifth century. fig, to where the black flood of the vol­ To-day, as in the days of the Hellenes cano stops like an arrested wave outside of Sicily, the true centre of the land is the Borgo of Catania. Enna (Castrogiovanni). But the famous But if one look at an enlarged map of home of Persephone is not a suitable Sicily, it will be seen at a glance that by " centre " for the pilgrim to old sites or far the greater part of the island, prac­ the seeker of interesting or picturesque tically the whole hinterland from the survivals. Indeed, except the excursion coasts, remains uninvaded by the dra- to the opposite crag-citadeled town of goiie a, vapore, — the iron horse, as we Calascibetta, on the north, or, on the have it. And, in truth, as with so much south, to the Lake of Pergusa, " that of the Basilicata and Calabria, this vast beautiful water where Persephone sank," isolated country is little invaded even by a desolate swamp (without charm save roads, — roads, that is, as distinct from in early spring) reached by an undriv- stony mule-paths or craggy hillways. able circuitous path, or, on the east, to From centres such as Petralia, under Assoro, the site of the ancient Sikelian Monte Salvatore of the Madonian moun­ town of Assorus, there is none that can­ tain range ; or Gang! in its hill-wilder­ not better be made from a more acces­ ness between Monte Zimmaraand Monte sible point of departure, — for though Zambughetti; or those regional mountain Agira {Agyrium) and Centorbi (Ken- capitals Nicosia or Troina, one may look turipa) seem near, these can be reached out upon a vast mountainous wilderness more conveniently from Adern6, on the little changed if at all for a thousand Circum-^tnea railway ; whence also, or years. Or, again, as wild and lonely a from Bronte, it is easier to reach the region may be seen from Mistretta, iso­ mountain towns of Troina and Nicosia. lated between the highlands of Tusa and Moreover, at Castrogiovanni, everything the great Bosco or forest region of Karo- of to-day is as it was three hundred years ni'a to the north of the Nebrodian Range, ago, as Sicilians themselves complain. or from Novara, swept by tlie Tyrrhene If, however, the traveler, or travelers winds beating upon the arid crests of the (for it is not agreeable, nor even advis­ Peloritanitan (or Pelorlc) Mountains, able, for strangers to travel alone in whence one may look far southward past this region) are hardy, and content to Roccafiorita or Francavilla to where fare roughly in the Holy City of De- Mount Tauros overhangs beautiful Taor- meter and Persephone, and can discard mina on the Ionian Sea, or far north­ the service of a carriage for that of mules, ward to the pearl-white gulf where of or, at need, can go far afoot, then, cer­ old (with Vulcano and Stroraboli and the tainly, rooms may be taken for a day or other Lipari Islands beyond) sat the two at the locanda in the Via Roma. towns of MylsB and Tyndaris and per­ An undulating line drawn through haps Longanum (to-day, respectively, the inlands of Sicily will loop at these Milazzo, and La Scala di Capo Tindaro, six mountain towns: Corleone, in the feet; at Maletto, the station for the Castle of puted that the stream hy Barcellona is the Maniace (the Duke of Bronte) stands at o700. Longanus where Hiero, Tyrant of Syracuse, 1 Not only is the site of the short-lived if not defeated the Mamertines in B. C. 269. legendary Longanam uncertain, but it is dis- PRODUCED BY UNZ.ORG ELECTRONIC REPRODUCTION PROHIBITED The Sicilian Highlands. 473 heart of the western province, some is neither good accommodation nor tol­ forty miles due soutli from Palermo (for erable fare to be had in the village, but Salemi, the ancient Halici/w, some fifty at the station of the same name (the junc­ miles westward toward Marsala, though tion on the Palermo-Catania Central Line it has a population of about 15,000, is for Girgenti) one can be fairly sure of a only a rude hill village without an inn) ; meal and even of the purchase of provi­ Castrogiovanni, in the heart of the cen­ sions. Here as elsewhere, however, one tral province ; Troina, the "capital" of should remember the cardinal rule for the northeast; Cunturipe, high-set among travel in the interior of Sicily, — name­ its craggy ways above the valley of the ly, to travel with waterproof tent if pos­ Symaithos (Simeto); Randazzo, formerly sible, but in any case always to carry JEtnea^ between which and Troina lie ample provender, solid and liquid. Milk the lofty forest lands and lower vine- (goat's milk, of course) can sometimes lands and orange woods of the beautiful be procured by tlie way, but rarely any­ duchy of Bronte; and Novara, the cen­ thing else, even bread. In many regions, tre of the province of Messina. too, one must be on guard against drink­ Corleone is the mountain terminus of ing the water unboiled. the little line which crawls uj) from Pa­ It is extremely doubtful, however, if lermo, by way of Misilmeri, the Moor­ this part of the Sicilian hinterland be ish Menzil-al-Enslr.